Karnataka health department issues norms for private hospitals to report child sexual abuse cases

Bengaluru: The health dept issued a fresh set of guidelines for private healthcare institutions to reinforce mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, particularly in cases of child pregnancies.The directive highlights provisions of Section 19(1) of Pocso Act, which mandate that any person with knowledge or suspicion of an offence must report it to Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) or local police. Importantly, the order stresses that doctors are legally bound to report such cases even if the child or family is unwilling to file a complaint.Healthcare providers have been instructed to ensure immediate care for survivors, maintain proper documentation of evidence, protect child's privacy and promptly inform law enforcement authorities. The guidelines emphasise the use of child helplines such as 1098 and call for stronger coordination between police, health departments and child welfare services.Govt said while public health institutions have been reporting such cases stringently, private ones have often absolved themselves of responsibility by referring such cases to govt facilities."When such cases come in, they are referred from one institution to another, causing distress to the child and family. While these rules have already been mandated by Pocso Act, we did not issue a circular specific to private hospitals. This has been done to prevent the assaulted child from running around the city and to ensure such cases are promptly reported by private hospitals as well. It is more of a precautionary measure," said Dr Vivek Dorai, state nodal officer for Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) programme.The guidelines warned that failure to report offences by persons in charge of institutions can attract imprisonment of up to one year and/or a fine.